FSU nixes chiropractic Fantasyland

What FSU's campus could have looked like if approved

January 27, 2005 - The Board of governors of Florida State University voted 10-3 today to once and for all to bury the idea that a publicly funded chiropractic college would be built in Tallhassee.

• State board kills chiropractic school at FSU - Miami Herald - January 27, 2005

To summarize the present situation in a nutshell, diehard chiropractic legislators and their supporters in their brotherhood have failed in their attempt to ram a publicly funded chiropractic school down their throats. In Canada, York University was approached by the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College a few years ago and their proposal to join the academic world was justifiably defeated.

It's pork barrel politics, Seminole style. Florida State University already has a fledglingmedical school, and programs in Nursing, and Human Sciences. Their academic faculty members have protested loudly. Lawsuits against this proposal have been launched. Stay tuned to ChiroWatch for the latest bulletins.

• Search Google News for FSU chiropractic
• Yahoo News on FSU chiropractic

• FSUblius - Blog on Perspectives on Academic and Research Programs at Florida State University

• Chronicle of Higher Education - Not in Our Backyard - Katherine Mangan
  Doctors at Florida State's new medical college say a proposed chiropractic school would be a pain in the neck. Last week Gov. Jeb Bush jumped into the debate, criticizing Florida State's handling of the matter and suggesting that the Legislature slash the $9-million appropriation for the chiropractic college to $1.9-million. He said faculty members had been cut out of the debate, and that the university's trustees should have taken a stand on the college rather than turning to the Board of Governors.

  This month a group representing about 500 Tallahassee-area physicians urged university and state officials to drop plans for the school, which David Stewart, president of the Capital Medical Society, an association of Tallahassee-area doctors, said had become "a political football."

• Tempest in Tallahassee - Time Magazine - Leon Jaroff The basic tenet of chiropractic holds — without any scientific evidence — that "subluxations",� or misaligned vertebrae, impinge on spinal nerves and interfere with the transmission of nerve impulses between the brain and tissue cells, thus causing many disorders and diseases. By realigning the vertebrae, some chiropractors claim, they can promote fertility in women, reverse Parkinson's disease, treat infectious diseases as well as cancer and diabetes, and cure children of bed-wetting.

• Testing the board's authority - A St. Petersburg Times Editorial - June 4, 2004 Florida's Constitution now insists that lawmakers keep their noses out of university programs, but that didn't stop them from creating a chiropractic school, of all things, this year. Regrettably, the people who are supposed to oversee universities, the Board of Governors, did little more than vent their frustrations at their meeting last month.

• Palmer student newspaper reactions:
  FSU Approved for First Public Chiropractic College - The degree program will be five years in length and students will be required to obtain a collateral master's degree in microbiology, nutrition and biomechanics depending on their course of study.
  SICA Reflects on FSU Chiropractic College- By: Brett L. CasanovaÊ, SICA PresidentÊ
  As I am sure many of you know by now, the Florida legislature has approved plans for Florida State University to open a college of Chiropractic Medicine. That's an oxymoron if I've ever heard one. Chiropractic Medicine? Give me a break. This may seem like a joke, or at least utterly ridiculous. But think of the consequences of this decision. FSU is a public school, which means the cost of tuition will be much lower than any of the private Chiropractic schools. Many come to Chiropractic college never having been adjusted, or having Chiropractic experiences. They usually attend a school who then teaches them the philosophy, science and art.

  What kind of philosophy, science and art will this school of medicine teach?

  This term sets a dangerous precedent that we must not allow to continue. This is a definite yet another step in the path for us to go the way of the Osteopaths. Unknowing students will enroll and from then on, this is what they will know Chiropractic to be. Is that what we want? Sure it will be more affordable and possibly more accessible, but what will be the quality of ChiropracTIC education? Furthermore, there is already a school in Florida. Some would argue that Florida is a large state, there are already many Chiropractors there and many more people would like to practice there. I cannot argue with that, we always need more. So why not open another ChiropracTIC school? Why a school of Chiropractic Medicine?

  Who will teach these new Chiropractic Physicians? Why do the students have to get a Masters degree with the D.C. (D.C.M.?) degree? If this is successful, will other states follow this trend? If so, how long will people continue to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for a real Chiropractic education? In the future, if news programs such as 20/20, Dateline or 48 Hours would decide to do a story on Chiropractic, where do you think they will go? To Palmer, which they have probably never heard of or FSU? My vote goes to FSU. Is that the publicity we want? More publicity showing chiropractors as pseudo-medical doctors? We are a separate, distinct and unique profession. I, for one, want to remain as such.

  The push to open this new school is just another chance for "them" to drive us into legislative oblivion as B.J. warned. Though they may try, as Dr. Braile said when he was here in April, legislators cannot define Chiropractic. Chiropractic is defined in our principles and in our philosophy. They can say that Chiropractors may legally do that which is not ChiropracTIC in their offices, but it does not change the principle. There are people out there still working to try and defeat this disastrous move on the part of the Florida legislator. Our fight to keep ChiropracTIC alive and well is a daily one. This is but one battle, but it is a very important one. Be sure to keep your eye on the situation, stay aware and informed. We will update you as we get new information at our meetings. The Student ICA meets every Friday at 9:20AM in W308.

• Chiropractic school out of alignment with taxpayer interests
  Jann Bellamy -Tallahassee Democrat
  MY VIEW The Florida Legislature recently dug into the public's purse and pulled out $9 million to fund a school of chiropractic at Florida State University. That $9 million is only the beginning, as the school will need a building (up to $35 million) and annual funding.

  FSU did not ask for a chiropractic school and does not want one, but dollars are dollars and FSU is reluctant to agitate the legislative leadership by complaining. The impetus behind the new school is Senate Majority Leader Dennis Jones, R-Seminole, a longtime chiropractor.

  In mixing scientists and chiropractors in the same program, FSU may have planted the seeds of the new school's demise. While chiropractic employs the language of medicine - physician, diagnosis, subluxation, board certification, for example - at present the hard science behind chiropractic practice is between slim and nonexistent. This is partly because, as a consultant's report commissioned by FSU itself points out, chiropractors have never rigorously researched their methods.

  Will the FSU microbiology student have to suspend his scientific knowledge when he walks across the hall to his class in chiropractic methods? How can the grad student in biomechanics believe chiropractic's claim that "malpositioned" vertebrae interfere with the transmission of nerve impulses between the brain and tissue cells, thereby causing disease, if her study of science tells her otherwise?

  And what will happen if future research concludes chiropractic treatment isn't effective for treating disease at all? Will the FSU school of chiropractic simply close its doors after consuming tens of millions of the taxpayers' money?

  No one publicly raised these issues in the rush to open a new chiropractic school. No one said, "wait a minute, shouldn't we make sure chiropractic 'medicine' is scientifically valid before we open a school to teach it?" Not the FSU administration, not the legislators, not the medical and scientific community (which knows better). Perhaps they all need to have their spines adjusted. The scientifically savvy Gov. Bush should stiffen his own backbone and refuse to sign this legislation.

  Fortunately, others have stepped into the breach. The report, done by
  MGT of America, was sent to the governor in December 2000. It reviewed existing research and found:

  no scientific evidence that chiropractic is effective in treating any but a very few conditions - certain types of back pain, headaches and neck pain - and even for those the results are mixed.
  A beneficial physiological response by the body to spinal manipulation is "largely speculative."
  The report flatly states that chiropractic care for children "remains controversial" and should be the subject of more study.

More pork barrel politics

St. Petersburg Times - March 10, 2004 -Letter to the Editor
Re: Legislature's new tack on disputed measures: speed, March 4.

I read this article in disbelief. The Florida Senate has passed a bill that would provide millions of dollars annually for the nation's first public chiropractic school. Talk about pork barrel politics at its best. This was a pet project of Sen. Dennis Jones and is part of a deal between House and Senate leaders which was tied to other projects. In this time of tight health care funding this is not a responsible way to spend state dollars.

I work in a privately funded, not-for-profit medical clinic, and every day I see many uninsured adults and children who could use this money for medicines and necessary testing. Unfortunately this kind of politics will continue until the public screams loud enough to use funds more responsibly.

-- Paul Lewis, M.D., Tarpon Springs

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